


Byi

by iamdenvermeer



Category: Big Time Rush (Band), Big Time Rush (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Bullying, Child Abuse, Cutting, Drug Use, Eventual Romance, Family Drama, Homophobia, Multi, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 12:53:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12507888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamdenvermeer/pseuds/iamdenvermeer
Summary: This is the story of Logan Malone, an introverted scene boy who was bullied at school, abused by his drunk father at home, and misunderstood by the rest of the world. He was quiet because of this and kept to himself most of the time. He didn't have any friends. He was alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello anyone who finds this story! This is one of the oldest stories I've written that has been sitting in my drafts and I finally decided I wanted to post it for people to see! Hope you enjoy this and leave comments if you want me to continue posting! Thanks!

Logan paced down the hallways of Greenville High School on one Thursday morning, his head down and hood covering it. He had just broken free from a group of stray Jocks that were just starting trouble with him and was now headed towards the library for his Study period. He wasn’t prepared for his body to collide with someone’s hard chest on the way there though. Logan somehow dropped all his books and the person he bumped into made an irritated noise. 

“Hey, watch where the hell you’re going, nerd!” Yelled the person, waving his hands around the mess of papers and books that were scattered across the ground.  
Logan slid to the ground, feeling the sharp pain of his head hitting against the locker, and began tearing up.“Please, don’t hit me too hard. I just need to get to class.” Pleaded Logan, his eyeliner running along with his fresh tears. He wasn’t in the mood to be beat up today. The person kneeled down in front of him.

“Hey dude, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” The person promised, making eye contact with the crying boy.

Logan saw that the person was a Latino looking boy with chocolate brown eyes and dark brown, almost black hair. Logan sat up and gathered his schoolwork from the ground. The boy copied his actions and helped him.

“So, um… I’m sorry for calling you a nerd.” The other boy apologized when Logan had everything organized. “So what’s your name?”

Logan told him quietly and afterwards the boy held out his hand. “I’m Carlos Aguiar, nice to meet you!” Logan doubted that. He didn’t return his handshake and stood up to walk away, but he felt something grab his arm. 

“Hey, so where are you going?” Carlos asked when the other boy turned back to him. 

Logan snatched his arm back and replied “To class. This is school isn’t it,” with a bitter tone. 

Carlos didn’t seem affected by it and kept on talking to him like he didn’t hear anything. Logan wasn’t a violent person by any means but the guy that was rambling on to him was trying his patience. Luckily, a teacher walked by and ordered them both to go to class. “I’ll see you later, Logan!” Carlos waved to him, and then walked away.

Logan shook his head and ran to the bathroom to fix his makeup. In the mirror, he looked like Pete Wentz from 2007 so he decided to wash it all off and redo it. He reapplied his eyeliner then gathered his schoolwork for the remainder of his Study period.  
In the library, Logan found it hard to concentrate. He kept flipping through his algebra book before closing it with defeat. 'Why was that guy so nice to me? ' He wondered in his head. 'He should know that I’m an outcast. He’s just messing with me. He’s trying to make me feel better because I am a nobody.'

Logan put his head down on the table and let out a groan of pain. “He probably won’t remember me again.” He said, closing his eyes.

The bell rang, awakening Logan from his nightmare. He glanced around the area before standing, gathering his unfinished homework, and stuffing it into his binder. Logan left the library and went straight to his locker. He was getting his stuff for Chemistry when he felt a hard hand close around his neck. Logan gasped for air as the person lifted him up and turned him around. He was faced by the cocky, condescending jock, Victor Wilson or Vic, and his crew. 

The blonde haired, green eyed football player was Logan’s number 1 obstacle at school. He was the captain of the football team and, of course, he had all the girls and some guys swooning at his feet. He also made it his goal to make Logan’s life a living hell for the past five years. “How you been, Logie?” Vic asked, running his fingers through Logan’s long, straight hair. 

Logan shuddered under his touch and pushed him away.“I’m not in the mood for your shit today, Wilson.” The brunette boy growled, walking around him.

The taller jock snatched him back and pinned him to the lockers.”Little LogieBear wants to play hard to get today.” Vic said, his voice lower than before. His jock crew laughed evilly from behind him.

Before Logan had a chance to retort, he was cut off by a punch to the face, followed by another in his stomach. He fell hard to the floor, body curled into a fetal position, crying. A crowd soon formed around him as Vic and his crew began pummeling him with punches and kicks. Logan’s vision began to blur from his tears and blood leaking into his eyes. The last thing that he made out from the blur was a fist connecting with Vic’s face before he completely passed out.

...  
Logan woke up about an hour later with an almost unbearable throbbing in his head and sides. He glanced around and realized that he was in the nurse’s office. Nurse Sandy was typing away on her computer when she told him that his parents couldn’t pick him up. He swung his legs off the edge of the bed he was lying on and stood up. 

“Logan, you’re awake!” Shouted a voice that was not too far from him. 

Logan turned his head and was surprised to see Carlos, the Latino boy from earlier, there, in the chair next to the bed. He had a few red marks and scars scattered across his face and arms and a band aid plastered over his head.  
“Oh, hey.” Logan whispered, his head still hurting like hell. He placed his fingers on his temples and rubbed to ease the pain. 

Carlos stood up and felt the other boy’s head. “Are you feeling alright?” He asked, moving his hand to cup the boy’s face.

Logan jerked himself away and walked over to the mirror that was hanging on the wall. His eyeliner was dry and running down his face, his hair was a mess, one of his snakebites was gone, and there were fresh bruises spread across his pale face. Carlos stood behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Why did you bring me here?” Logan asked lowly. He turned around and glared down at the Latino. “I didn’t want your help.”

Carlos stuck his lip out in a pout and crossed his arms. “I saw you getting beaten by Victor and his gang and I had to do something. I couldn’t leave you there to suffer. I’m not that kind of guy.” Logan sighed and glanced at the floor.

“Thanks, I guess.” He said, under his breath. 

He then turned and left the room. Logan walked to his locker, ignoring the Latino boy that was following him, keeping his distance. He grabbed what he needed for 3rd period and stuck a spare stud in his empty snakebite hole, then turned away, walking towards his class. Carlos followed him there as well then, assumingly, went on to his own class.

...  
At lunch, Logan sat at his usual spot at the back of the cafeteria and was surprised to see Carlos walking towards him, two other guys, a dirty blonde haired guy with green eyes and huge eyebrows, and naturally tan, handsome guy trailing him. Logan lowered his hood-covered head in hopes of disguising himself. 

No luck. 

Carlos threw his arm around the boy’s shoulders and smiled at his friends. “Guys, this is Logan.” He introduced. Logan lifted his head slightly to see a handsomely, feminine guy smiling brightly at him. 

“I’m Jamie Anderson.” They said smoothly. “I’m also Transgender, before you ask. You can call me whatever you want but I prefer him/he.”

Logan shook Carlos’s arm off his shoulders and couldn’t resist giving the guy a small smile back. He had never met someone that was Transgender before and wouldn’t have seen Jamie as anything but a man with a pretty face if he hadn’t said anything. Jamie looked literally like a God. He had a pretty face, tanned skin, healthy looking hair, and a million dollar smile. 

The dirty blonde boy beside him playfully pushed Jamie’s side and held out his hand. “Kendall Westlake, captain of the school hockey team.” 

Logan’s sudden realization hit him and he didn’t shake his hand. He glared up at all of them. “I know what you are doing and to save you some time, I’ll just go.” The shy boy said rather bitterly while slowly standing up. 

The three guys looked up at him, confusion in their eyes. “And what would that be?” Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow. Logan shrunk down, not wanting to start a fight.

“Victor is paying you guys to pretend to be nice to me so he can jump me later, right?” The corners of his eyes were leaking tears at this point. 

Carlos grabbed his chin in a rather intimate way and tilted his head up to wipe his tears. Logan tried pulling away but the shorter boy had a strong grip on his chin so he just sat still. Kendall rubbed his back in a friendly way. 

“Nah, dude you got it wrong.” The dirty blonde boy assured.

Carlos took his hand off his face once he was sure that he wasn’t crying anymore and Logan scooted away. “I realize that you aren’t a popular guy and that’s why I wanted to be friends with you. I also brought Jamie and Kendall so you could be friends with them as well as me.” 

“No you’re not! Just stop lying to me and,” Logan began to object when the Latino gave him a hard stare. 

“Could you stop being a jerk to us and listen to me? We are only trying to be nice!” 

Logan wanted to say no but the stern look in the other boy’s eyes made him say otherwise. “Fine.” He replied with a huff of defeat.

“We cool?” Kendall asked with a crooked smile. Logan nodded, not really meaning it though. 

“Yeah, sure.”

“So Logan, do you play any sports?” Jamie asked, the subject changing. 

Logan sat up further in his seat and half-smiled to himself. “I used to play football in middle school, but I got injured badly during one game and I had to quit.” The boy replied. 

“Watch any of the games?” Kendall added and Logan shrugged.

“Haven’t found the time to sit down and watch one lately.” He lied straight through his teeth. Logan hated sports ever since the football accident. His father resented him because of it along with other things.

Carlos’s face brightened up and he quickly turned to the emo looking boy. “You should come over to my place and watch the game tonight.” He invited.

Logan shook his head quickly. “I’m not sure how well that will go over with my parents.” He lied again. He knew his parents didn’t care if he stayed out late or even came back at all. His father has made that clear several times and his mother is never home herself. This brought back a memory, really a nightmare, of the time he was jumped.

Flashback  
Logan was walking home from his late shift at the library. He was taking his usual route home, through the woods and down a path to his neighborhood, when he felt a presence following him. He had looked around but couldn’t make out anything because it was dark and he was in the woods. So he kept on moving. 

Suddenly, he felt something that was thrown at his head and fell down. He tumbled down a hill and landed in a small stream. Menacing laughter was heard around him as he sat up slowly. 

“Well hello Logie.” The unmistakable voice of Victor Wilson said from above him. His large hands fisted his shirt and jerked the shorter boy to his feet. Logan saw that he wasn’t alone and that three other guys were accompanying him. “Since little Logie likes it up the ass, let’s show him a good time.” Vic said, snatching down Logan’s pants. Logan cried out for help, but it was no use. 

They were in the middle of the woods and no one could hear his cries. Logan was beaten that night and no one came to his rescue. When they were done with him, they left him there in a pile of blood in the woods.  
Once he got himself together, Logan limped his way home. His mother was there with one of her ‘clients’ and didn’t even acknowledge him when he came in. Logan had cried himself to sleep that night and many more after that. He hasn’t really trusted any human after that.

Carlos was very persistent though. “Please, I know your parents aren’t that strict.” He begged, his chocolate brown eyes piercing through Logan’s seemingly black ones. “Give us a chance and maybe you’ll like it.” Logan couldn’t think of any more excuses and plus, he couldn’t think at all with the three boys staring at him with their puppy dog eyes. 

“Fine, whatever.” He caved, just to get them to stop staring at him. He hated the feeling of eyes watching him. The other boys cheered in happiness. 

“Great, we’ll meet at my house after school.” Carlos confirmed, clasping his hands together. 

‘Yay!’ Logan thought sarcastically. ‘God just kill me now.’

The boys separated after finishing their lunches, leaving Carlos with Logan. They, meaning Carlos, had went over their schedules and found out that they had shared the next two classes with each other. Which was great news for Logan. (More Sarcasm) 

As they were walking to their History class, they, of course, came across Victor and his crew. The Jock spotted the shorter boys and swaggered up to them, a smirk evident across his slightly bruised face. “Hey Logie, I see you have recovered quickly.” He greeted, taking dangerously slow steps towards Logan. 

“And I see that you got your own ass kicked today as well.” Logan spat back crossing his arms. 

Carlos stepped in front of him when Vic leaned in closer, his eyes glaring hard at him. “What do you want, Wilson?” Demanded the shorter boy.

Vic raised an eyebrow and kneeled down to his ‘level’. “Aww Logiebear has a wittle bodyguard now, so sweet.” He teased, grabbing Carlos’s cheek. 

Logan’s annoyance was replaced by actual anger and he growled. He tried to get around him, but Carlos held him back. “I don’t need your protection Carlos!” Logan said with a growl. 

The shorter boy slapped the jock’s hand away and sent him a death glare. “I’ve already dealt with you and your boys today, do you need another lesson?”

Vic’s crew laughed from behind their leader. One, a red haired, green-eyed dude spoke up. “Aguiar, I think you’re protecting the wrong guy. Logan doesn’t deserve your help. He needs a beating.” Carlos kept his position in front of Logan and crossed his arms.

“Why?” He asked, becoming angrier by the minute. Vic chuckled to himself. 

“Because he’s just a faggot.” The blonde spat out the word as if it was a disease. “And fags don’t deserve any kindness.”

Logan whimpered at hearing that word and shrunk back a little. He’s heard those same words come from his father’s drunken mouth and the resemblance was just unnerving. Carlos lost his temper. He grabbed the blonde jock from the back of his shoulders and kneed him in the face. Vic screamed out curse words as he rolled around in the ground, holding his injured face. 

Logan then made his move, seeing that Vic was vulnerable, and shoved Carlos out the way to begin ramming on Vic himself. “Logan, stop!” He heard Carlos yell, but he ignored him. 

He continued to wail and kick on the jock until he was snatched back by someone. That someone was a teacher. 

“Mr. Malone!” She yelled in Logan’s face. She was grabbing his arm very harshly, making him want to start punching her. 

Logan shot daggers at the teacher with his eyes and flung her hand off of his arm like it was burning him. “Don’t touch me, you bitch!” He whispered viciously.

He glanced down at the jock that was rolling in pain on the ground, smiling in victory on the inside while he sighed loudly on the outside. He pitched the bridge of his nose and looked back at the shocked-face teacher. 

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Laner.” He apologized, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Ms. Laner nodded at him and helped Vic to his feet. “Victor, to the nurse with you, then to the principal’s office.” She directed to the blonde jock. 

“And you,” She pointed to Logan, who was examining his hand that had blood on it. “Go to the office with Mr. Aguiar.” 

With that, the teacher was gone, her heels clicking down the hallway. Logan watched as Vic gave him a pain-filled but vengeful expression before he began limping down the opposite end of the hallway. Carlos put his hand on his back and patted it in a friendly way. “Come on, before we get into more trouble.” He said, leading the boy to the office. 

Logan and Carlos sat in chairs in front of the principal’s desk, heads down, and conversing with each other. “Did you not hear me when I said stop?” Carlos asked when they had first sat down in the room. 

Logan had his hood over his head so he couldn’t see the Latino when he talked to him. “Sorry, I was distracted and I kind of blocked you out.” He replied, just wanting to get this punishment over with.

“It’s cool. I was just trying to warn you that that teacher was coming.” Carlos told him, leaning back in his chair.

Carlos and Logan turned their heads to the creaking sound of the office door opening. Sherwood High Principal, Mr. Fern, stepped inside, a look of disappointment spread across his face, and shut the door. 

“Mr. Malone, Mr. Aguiar.” He greeted his voice gruff from age. 

He sat down at his desk and nodded at the boys, waiting for one of them to explain. Carlos spoke up first. “Mr. Fern, the student Victor Wilson provoked us first. He began picking on Logan and I stepped in to prevent a fight between them. Then he provoked me and I lost my temper, which I apologize for. Logan and I were just protecting ourselves from the bully and his gang.” 

Mr. Fern nodded at him and turned to Logan. “What do you have to say about this, Mr. Malone?” He asked. Logan glanced up and met the man’s grey eyes. 

“Didn’t he just tell you the story? Do you not believe him or do I have to”- Carlos covered his mouth with his hand and smiled at the principal.

“I apologize for my friend’s rudeness. He’s just in one of his moods.” The boy said before removing his hand. Logan glared at him, but didn’t say another word. 

He just sat there in the chair, his arms crossed, listening to Carlos and Mr. Fern discuss their punishments. Logan ended up having detention for a week while Carlos had detention for half the week. Their detention started next week since it was Thursday.

...  
After school, Logan held tightly onto his backpack straps as he stood in the school’s parking lot. He was buzzing with anxious energy and was prepared to be cancelled on as that has happened in the past with old acquaintances. Some friends of Vic passed by him and seemed to scrutinize him quickly before they went on with their afternoons. 

“Yo, Logan, over here!’ Someone yelled from across the parking lot, catching Logan’s attention. 

Logan groaned internally and turned to the source of the voice. He saw that Carlos was propped up on the hood of a white pickup truck. The emo boy walked over to him and halted in front of the truck, staring at his old beat up shoes. 

Carlos hopped off the truck and opened up the doors. “The game starts at 6 so we got some time to spare at my house.” He told him, hopping into the driver’s seat. Logan got in at a slower pace and shut the door behind him. Carlos started up his truck and backed out of the school’s parking lot.

The two rode out of the city and into the thick woodland parts of Michigan. Logan grabbed at his seatbelt as Carlos drove up a hill and into a secluded forest area. The concrete road dissolved into gravel, then dirt, and the trees that lined the road thickened out. Once they reached the top, Logan’s eyes grew large. What he assumed was Carlos’s house looked like a miniature white mansion. The small mansion was hidden by all the trees and was almost impossible to distinguish. A pond lay in the middle of the roundabout driveway and a pool was visible from one side of the house. A variety of flowers lined the walls and entrance of the house along with a few scattered rocks that were in the yard.

“I take that you like my house.” Carlos commented when he and Logan exited the truck and entered the house. 

Like was an understatement.

Logan was falling in love with the interior design of the house. It made him feel like a mom because he liked houses that had great color schemes. And Carlos’s didn’t disappoint. The first few room’s walls were white with darker trimming, the carpet was cream colored, and the furniture was either brown, dark brown, or black. Pictures of Carlos and his family lined the walls of the hallway that led to the kitchen. That was where they were heading. 

The kitchen was simple and modern, nothing too fancy, but it was way better than Logan’s. There was an island in the middle of the room with three bar stools lining it. A glass window-door was adjacent from the entrance of the kitchen and it led outside to the fenced in backyard. Logan stood awkwardly in the doorframe twiddling his fingers while the shorter boy had his head in the fridge. A minute later, he turned around with two sodas in his hands and gave one to Logan.

“What’s up?” Carlos asked when he opened his soda and the taller boy just stood there. Logan glanced at the can then back at Carlos.

“Why-” It came out of his lips as a whisper.

Carlos tilted his head to the side in a confused way but let Logan speak. “Tell me the real reason why the fuck you are being so nice to me? If you are not working for Vic then tell me what’s the reason?” Carlos looked shocked at his sudden language and flinched back.  
“I am just some,some emo, outcast, nerd who has nothing to live for while you are some, some-”

“Some new guy who just got transferred to Greenville High barely a month ago.” Carlos finished, leaning on the opposite side of the doorframe. 

“Someone who was also bullied but because of his height and fought back until the state sent me here. Logan,” He paused to grab the taller boy’s chin again, forcing him to look into his eyes. “I’m an outcast too. The Jocks know me because of my reputation at my old school and Jamie and Kendall have been my friends like forever. Other than them, you’re the only friend I have.”

Logan removed the boy’s hand and looked away. “I just met you today and I barely know you. How am I your friend?” 

Silence.

After Carlos stayed quiet for a minute, he spoke again. “Well I helped you out and you helped me out at school today.” He replied taking his time with each word. “You agreed to hang out with me and I pretty much rescued from Vic.” Logan assumed that just he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. 

He thought about retorting with ‘I don’t need rescuing’ but held it in.

“Thanks.” He said finally, sounding sincere. 

Carlos smiled and patted his back. “Come on, I got some video games in my room that we can pass the time with.” The shorter boy told him, leading him back down the hallway and up the stairs.

Carlos’s room was somewhat clean to Logan’s eyes. It was cleaner than his own living room. There was the occasional shirt on the floor, but that was expected for a teenage boy’s bedroom. The bed was by a large window that had white curtains, and the bed had purple and black duvet with matching pillows. A large, flat-screen T.V. was on the opposite side of the room, inside a wooden case. A variety of movies, games, and gaming systems were also in the case, but underneath the T.V. 

Carlos went over to his closet and grabbed a few blankets to spread on the floor. After setting up the seating place, the shorter boy plopped down, Logan following suit.  
“GTA or Saints Row?” Carlos asked holding up the two mentioned games.

Logan chose GTA and the two boys began to play it on multiplayer mode. They played for an hour, shouting out random, playful threats every once in awhile as they completed the mission, until the bedroom door swung open and Kendall and Jamie walked in, hand in hand.

“S’up Los, Logan?” They greeted, sitting down on Carlos’s bed. 

Carlos paused the game and acknowledged each of the guys with some a special handshake. Logan just sat there awkwardly watching them. Carlos then went over and grabbed a large bag of chips from one of his dressers. He popped the bag open, got a handful for himself, then passed the bag to Logan.

“How did you guys get in here?” Logan asked, passing the bag to Jamie once he grabbed his share of chips.

Jamie took a key out of his pocket and showed it to him. “Carlos gave me the key because Kendall, here, is irresponsible and will lose it.” The dirty blonde boy playfully elbowed the cream boy in the stomach and glared at him.

“No I won’t, I am responsible!” He argued, his green eyes blazing through his hair at the other boy.

Jamie scoffed and narrowed his hazel eyes.

“What about Mr. Fish?” Kendall rolled his eyes at his statement.

“That was in 4th grade!”

“It still is relevant!” Jamie yelled back.

Logan and Carlos watched in amusement as the two boys argued back and forth.

Minutes later, seeing that he couldn’t win, Jamie groaned and turned back towards the T.V; Kendall was smirking in victory.  
Carlos grabbed the remote and changed the channel to ESPN where the football game was just starting. 

...  
The game ended about two hours later and once over, the boys chilled out and talked for a while. Well Logan only spoke when he was spoken to but still. The conversation paused when Jamie suddenly let out a yawn.

“Ready for bed, sleepy head?” Kendall asked, patting the handsome boy’s back. Said boy shook his head and leaned back into Carlos’s pillows. 

“I’m not”- Yawn. “That tired. I can still”- Jamie couldn’t even finish his sentence because Kendall pressed on his pressure point on his neck, causing him to fall asleep. 

Logan sighed at them then glanced out the window. 

The sun was no longer setting in the sky, leaving the early moon rising in its place. He then had the sudden need to leave. Logan stood up and left the room abruptly. He walked down the hallway not really knowing where he was going and halted at the large window that was at one end. He sat down in an armchair and glanced out the window. The outside of Carlos’s house was really pretty with the moon’s reflection shining on it. His house was surrounded by tall pine trees and it sat tall on hill. His backyard was fenced off and it had a pool.

Someone grabbed at his shoulders a few silent moments later. Logan’s eyes flickered up and saw Carlos standing there, a worried expression on his face.

“Hey, so what’s the matter?” The boy asked, moving to stand in front of him.

Logan shook his head and turned his body to look at him fully. “Sorry I left the room like that. That was rude of me.” He apologized, avoiding the question.

Carlos kneeled down beside him and placed one of his hands on Logan’s knee. “Is something bothering you?” He asked, searching the other boy’s eyes for an explanation. 

Logan looked away, giving the shorter boy the answer. It was silent for a while with only the sound in the room was of their breathing.

“Can you take me to my house? I’ll give you the directions.” Logan asked in a whisper. 

Carlos agreed and he and Logan stood up. He grabbed his book bag from Carlos’s room, said goodbye to Kendall, and then followed the shorter out of the house.

...  
The ride to Logan’s house was quiet, other than Logan giving Carlos directions, and the soft music that was playing on the radio. When they pulled into the neighborhood, Carlos’s cheerful demeanor changed dramatically. Most of the homes had graffiti on the sides of them and there were a few groups of kids hanging around some of the back alley ways. Logan could tell that they were doing drugs just by the way they acted when they rode by. Carlos let out a quiet sigh of relief when he pulled into Logan’s driveway. Logan’s dad also wasn’t home from work which made Logan a little happier.

His house was normal compared to the others around it and had a decent looking yard. Logan exited the truck, with the door slamming behind him, and opened the front door to his house. He heard the other boy follow him inside because the front door closed without him closing it. Logan flipped the lights on and sat down on the lumpy brown couch.

“Nice house, Logan.” Carlos said, looking around the living room.

The comment was shrugged off and Logan stood back up. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He pushed aside his father’s alcohol and grabbed a juice box for himself and his guest. 

Carlos had followed him and took the juice box he was offered. “Where are your parents?” 

Logan shrugged and finished off his juice. He threw it in the trash can and sat back down. 

“My dad might be at work, but I don’t have any idea where my mom could be.” He replied. Carlos nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer, and got up from the chair he was sitting in.

“Can I see your room?” He asked, throwing his empty juice box away.

Logan shrugged again and left the kitchen, leading the other boy to his room. He opened the door and watched as Carlos took in the atmosphere of his bedroom. Band posters covered the wooden walls and the smell of Death was fresh in the air. (That was his cologne). Every piece of his clothing was hung up in his closet, the bed was made and had a stuffed teddy bear on it, and his dresser had all of his CDs and CD player stacked on it along with some scattered change. An acoustic guitar leaned against that dresser. The T.V. was on a small table by his window.

Logan walked over to his dresser and picked up a note he had spotted when he first walked in. It read ‘Logan, here’s a 50 for the week for food. I’ll be back next Saturday and you know not to tell your father. Love, Mom’

Logan balled up the note and sat down at the foot of his bed. He was pissed that his mother just got up and left. He was also afraid of what his father’s mood may be when he returned from work. 

Carlos seemed to notice his change in stance because he sat down beside him and put his arm around his back. 

“What’s wrong?” Logan’s guest asked.

Logan sucked in a breath of air and shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong.” He lied. “My mom just left me with my dad for the week.”

“Is that bad or something?” Carlos asked, oblivious to the situation that the other boy was stuck in.

A single tear rolled out of Logan’s eye and down his face, thinking about what his father may do to him when he comes home from work. One after the other, tears began to flow freely out of Logan’s eyes as he finally broke down into sobs. Carlos pulled the crying boy into his firm chest and gently rubbed his back. 

“Is there something you don’t like about your dad?” He questioned and the boy buried his head into his chest and kept crying. Carlos just kept hugging him, assuring him that everything was alright and that he would alright. 

Minutes later, the crying subsided and Logan pulled away, shocked at himself for crying on a stranger’s chest. “Ah shit! I’m so sorry for ruining your shirt! I’ll go and”- 

Carlos shushed him and pulled him into a half hug. “ Never mind my shirt. Tell me about your dad. Why does he make you feel sad?”

Logan shuddered as if he was cold when he thought about his father and buried his face in Carlos’s chest. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” He whispered and the boy nodded slowly. Logan didn’t want to reveal his past to someone he just met. 

P.O.V. change  
The two boys stayed in that position until Carlos saw that Logan had fallen asleep. He smiled at him, took the boy’s shoes off, and tucked him inside his bed. Carlos watched the boy sleep for a while, contemplating if he should leave or stay, then deciding that he wasn’t going to leave Logan in that fragile condition. He sent his Papi a text, saying that he would be staying at a friend’s house for the night then got himself comfortable beside Logan.

P.O.V. change back + Time Skip  
Logan awoke the next morning to an odd ringing sound from beside him. He turned over in his bed and froze in shock. Carlos was curled up beside him, his phone ringing in his pants pocket. He stared at him for a moment, trying to remember what had happened the night before, then sighed realizing that he had probably just fallen asleep with the boy beside him. He was surprised that the boy had stayed behind after he had ruined his shirt with his tears and makeup.

It was about 6 am when he had woke up so he assumed that it was Carlos’s alarm that was ringing.  
Logan got up and left the room, headed straight for the bathroom. He combed out his messy bed head, washed his face, brushed his teeth, applied a heavy amount fresh eyeliner to his eyes, and finally put in clean snakebites. Afterwards, he went back into his room to get dressed.

When he opened the door he saw Carlos, wide awake and stretching on his bed.  
“Good morning!” He greeted when he saw the other boy. Logan half-smiled at him. The shorter boy was still energetic even early in the morning which made Logan internally roll his eyes. 

“Morning.” He replied with less enthusiasm.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out what he was going to wear; A ‘P!ATD’ t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and some old beat up converses. Carlos stood up and turned around so Logan could get dressed. When he was done he tapped the shorter boy’s shoulder. Carlos faced him with a grin and directed him over to the door with his hand. 

“I have to stop by my house so I can get ready too.” He told him and Logan went along with him. 

‘Hey, it’s a free ride to school!’ Logan had thought, slipping on his hoodie before leaving.

The boys got out of Logan’s neighborhood safely and rode to Carlos’s ‘mansion’ in the woods. “We’ll have to be quiet because my Papi might be sleeping.” The shorter of the two whispered as they entered the house. They walked through the front living room and took quiet steps up the stairs to Carlos’s room. Logan waited outside of his room as the Latino got dressed.

Ten minutes later, he came out, newly dressed and looking fresh. He was wearing a gray hoodie with a purple t-shirt poking out from underneath, a pair of faded black jeans, white converses, and his hood pulled over his head. Logan would be lying to himself if he didn’t think that the boy in front of him wasn’t adorable. 

Carlos smiled up at him and led him downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, Carlos was immediately tackled by a large black and brown dog. Logan yelped in surprise and jumped back into the island. Carlos, who was on the ground, laughed underneath the dog. 

“Sydney!” He exclaimed, still giggling at the dog that was licking his face. 

Finally, he pushed the dog off and grabbed it by its collar. “Logan, this is Sydney Rae or Sydney.” He introduced, flustered. Logan glanced at the dog and stood frozen in his spot. 

Carlos noticed his hesitation and brought his dog over. “She won’t bite, I promise.” He assured, grabbing the other boy’s hand, and putting it in front of the dog’s nose. Sydney sniffed the hand in front of her and then gave it a lick. 

Logan pulled his hand back in surprise and the dog whined in response.

“Aww she likes you.” Carlos commented, petting the dog’s head. 

Sydney barked in agreement and Logan smiled, nervously, hoping that Carlos would get the hint that he was uncomfortable. Carlos pulled the dog back and dragged her outside to the backyard. Once she was out, he returned to the kitchen and made a small breakfast for them; two toasted pop tarts and two glasses of orange juice. Both of them sat down at the island.

“When did you move here?” Logan asked, trying to make conversation.

Carlos finished his pop tart and threw the trash away. “We moved here when I was a baby from Missouri because my Mommy had got a job as a cosmetic promoter. She works for Jamie’s mom’s company. She is in New York at the moment, promoting some new products. My Papi is a police officer.”

'Well damn, I didn’t ask for your whole life story.' Logan thought rudely but then erasing the thought because it was way too harsh, even for him. He blamed it on the morning and it being so early for him to be up despite doing it everyday for school.

He nodded to him and the Latino patted his back. “It’ll be 7 in a minute so we better get going” He explained, grabbing his keys from the hook. 

Logan threw his trash away and followed the shorter boy out of the kitchen.

“Hijo, usted no me dijo que tenías compañía otra vez.” Someone with a thick Hispanic accent said from around the corner.

Logan and Carlos turned their heads and saw a short Hispanic man walking down the stairs, the corners of his lips turned up into a smile. 

“Morning Papi!” Carlos greeted, running over to embrace the older man. 

He then went back over to Logan. “Papi, this is my friend Logan.” He introduced, placing a hand on said boy’s back and pushing him forward. 

Logan turned his head for a second to glare back at the shorter boy and then shook the man’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you Logan.” Carlos’s father said, letting go of his hand. “I am Mr. Aguiar, but call me Papi since you are one of Carlos’s friends.”

Logan nodded and felt Carlos pat his back. “Well we better get going to school.” He said to his father. “See you later Papi.” He grabbed Logan’s hand and led him to his truck. 

The two got in and rode out of the wilderness and back into the city. They got out of the truck once Carlos parked in the school’s parking lot. A few students and teachers were already there and was just getting out of their own vehicles. Tension was running high as they entered the building side by side and Logan’s anxiety was slowly rising. The whispering and quick glances directed towards them made him quicken his pace but Carlos caught up to him.

“Hey don’t worry about them.” The boy said with a soothing voice.

Logan clutched tighter onto his backpack when he heard the intense disapproval in their voices. He glared at those people hard in their eyes before they glanced away quickly. Carlos put his arm around his shoulders, a silent way of telling him to calm down.  
One tear spilled out of Logan’s eye and he wiped it away quickly. He didn’t want Carlos worrying over him so early in the morning, and to be honest, he was tired of crying. 

He was tired of all the hate he got everyday.

He was tired of all of the bullying he received on a daily basis and was tired of trying to fight back.

He was just tired of his whole life and was thinking about putting it all to rest and giving up.

...  
While making his way to Study period, Logan got stopped, as usual, but by a group of three of the school’s bitchiest girls. They were called the Jennifers (All of their first names were Jennifer). 

“Hey emo boy!” Called the first Jennifer. She had bleached blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin. “Who gave you permission to hang around the new hottie, Carlos?” She barked, placing a manicured hand on her hip. 

Jennifer #2, a brunette copied her actions. “Yeah stay away from him, you faggot, before you make him one of your kind!” She ordered and her comrades laughed from behind her.

Today wasn’t the right day for those girls to mess with him because Logan. Was. Pissed. Off. 

He glared harshly at the snickering girls and pointed at them. “No.” He spoke lowly, almost animal-like. “And I have no interest in what else you you sluts have to say. You don’t run the fucking school or me!” 

The girls stopped giggling and stood there in shock. 

“I don’t have time for any of your shit anymore so screw you!”

The girls continued to stand there, their mouths wide open.

“Why the hell are you still here?” Logan demanded, restraining himself from hitting one of them. “Get out of my face before I slit your throats with my nails.” 

Blonde Jennifer grabbed brunette Jennifer’s elbow and paced away, the last Jennifer trailing behind them. Logan chuckled to himself and continued his way down the hallway. He felt a little better about exploding on them but then began to worry about the consequences that were sure to come. After all, Jennifer #1 was Vic’s sister.

...  
At lunch, Carlos was at Logan’s table with Jamie and Kendall at his side, arguing over something, as usual. Logan sat his tray down and slid in the empty seat next to Carlos.  
“So Logan,” Jamie began ending the argument. “Did anyone mess with you today?” 

Logan took a bite out of his chicken wrap. “The Jennifers stopped me earlier.” He said after swallowing. “And let’s just say I might have scared them for life with my threats.” 

Carlos stared hard at him. “What did you do?” He asked and Logan groaned. 

“I didn’t touch them so don’t worry about it! I didn’t want anymore detention for next week!” 

Carlos put his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay, don’t get your undies in a bunch, I was just asking.”

Logan let out a sigh, not wanting to argue with the shorter boy. Kendall patted his back in a calming way. “Dude, you need chill out before you pop something in your brain.” He told him, trying to be funny.

Logan glared at him then continued to eat. He did calm down after a minute and looked over at Carlos. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.” Carlos ruffled his hair, playfully. 

“It’s cool.” Logan shook his hair back into place and smiled as Kendall and Jamie began to argue about something stupid again.

He was actually beginning to like these guys for a change.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a new chapter! I was too excited to wait any longer for this story and decided to post again! Remember guys, comments and kudos help me out a lot. I would appreciate the criticisms you have as that is what I will use to improve my writing. Anyway, onto Chapter 2!

That afternoon, after school, Logan roughly pushed his way through the crowd of wild high school students. Since it was Friday, the students were all hyped up for tonight’s sporting game. Logan, of course, wasn’t attending. Carlos had also told him that he would be busy that night so they couldn’t hang out. He had to settle with going home today. Yay!

Logan let his dark brown hair fall into his face as he walked home in silence. Vicious looking dogs barked and lunged at him as he walked further into his neighborhood. Luckily they were chained up so they couldn’t reach Logan. He picked up his pace to get away from them and while doing so, he ran into a pole. He was dazed for a second and then continued his way down the street. At last, he arrived home. He opened the front door slowly, knowing that his father was home, and quietly stepped inside.  
Joel was sitting on the couch, his back to Logan, watching T.V. Logan tried sneaking past him, but failed when he tripped on a few empty beer bottles, and tumbled to the floor with a loud yelp. Rough hands were instantly on his shirt, pulling him up with such great force that it almost made him fall back down.

“Trying to sneak past me, huh?” His father said lowly.

Logan shook his head quickly, his eyes wide in fear. “Dad I-”

Joel grabbed a fist full of Logan’s hair and pulled his son closer to his face. “What did I tell you about wearing this makeup?” He demanded, smudging the eyeliner off of Logan’s face and showing it to him. 

Logan refused to answer him and that earned him a hard slap to the face. “It makes you look like a faggot!” His father yelled in his face. His breath smelt of beer, meaning he was drunk. 

Joel hit his son again and then threw him on the ground. “You’re a disgrace to this family and deserve to die, you hear me?” Joel spat, kicking Logan in the stomach. Logan was screaming at this point, the tears mixing in with the blood that was surfacing from his mouth. “DAD!-”

“You like that don’t you, you little shit?!” His father laughed at the crying boy, turned around, and grabbed a bottle from the couch. He then jerked Logan to his feet and smiled evilly. Logan hiccuped in fear. “Remember, this is our secret, you bitch!”

The glass shattered as it came in contact with Logan’s face, the shards flying out and piercing him everywhere. Logan screamed out and Joel just tossed him on the ground and left the scene, kicking his back on the way out. The boy was consumed by darkness a few moments later.

Logan blinked his eyes open and let out a pain filled groan. It was dark all around him so he couldn’t see well. He felt around the dark area and realized something;  
Number 1, he wasn’t dead. Well not yet anyway.

Number 2, he wasn’t on the floor of his living room in his house. He was on concrete. Meaning that he was outside. 

Slowly, the boy stood up and winced. His back was killing him and his face was stinging slightly. ‘Where am I?’ He thought, standing, and taking a few steps forward. Something that looked similar to a street light shined in the distance. The light grew brighter as he followed it down the concrete path. Logan made it to the light and stood under it, enjoying the heat that the rays gave off. 

‘You’re useless!” His father’s voice yelled in the distance. ‘You’re nothing but a little fag! Why were you even born? You should just die to make us all happy.’ His voice got louder and louder until it was yelling into Logan’s ears.

A gun appeared in Logan’s hand and he made a quick decision. Without even hesitating he held the pistol up to his head and closed his eyes. Redness splattered across his eyes and he fell dead to the ground, drowning in his own blood.

Logan woke up from his nightmare, screaming his lungs out. He glanced around quickly and realized that he was back inside his house. The sun was just rising into the sky, its light spilling in through the window blinds and blinding Logan for a moment. Logan got up and slowly limped over to the couch to sit down. He let out a weak sigh and let his head drop in his hands. 

A hiss emitted from his mouth when his fingers made contact with the glass shards that were sticking out of his face. He stood back up and made his way to the bathroom. Logan looked at himself in the mirror and shuddered. The image before him was gruesome. It was of an almost lifeless boy, his body pale from his blood loss, his face distorted from bruises and was covered in pieces of glass, and his will to live on draining by the minute. 

One by one, Logan pulled out each piece of glass, and washed his face afterwards. He kept one piece of glass though. And with that one large shard of glass in his hand, he lowered the object to his wrist and sliced it open, letting the blood spill out into the sink. He did 4 more times until he was satisfied with the pain. The pain wasn’t that bad, seeing as he had done it before, just last week and every week before that. 

The worse pain was in his back. He stripped off his bloody shirt and grabbed a small mirror so he could see his back clearly. It was all bruised and bloody. He used a rag and warm water to clean it up and wrapped his back tight with a large cloth. “It will do.” He said, glancing at his makeshift bandage.

Logan went to his room, after cleaning up his blood, changed clothes, put on makeup to cover the damage, put in his piercings, and was getting ready to walk to work when noticed that the money that his mother gave him was missing. He shook his head and gathered the rest of what he needed before he left for work.

...  
It was a quiet day at the library, which Logan was grateful for. There were no annoying little brats running around, no loud talkers, just a few people here and there, but nothing Logan couldn’t handle by himself. While re-shelving some books in the cooking section, he felt a tap on his leg. 

He turned his head and almost fell off the ladder he was on. “Carlos?” He whispered, unsure if he was seeing correctly. 

The person in front of him was indeed the short Latino from school and was smiling up at him. “Hey Logan, what are you doing here?” He asked.

Logan stepped down from the ladder and fully faced the shorter boy, books still stacked on his hands. “I could ask you the same thing.” Logan replied with a fake smile. Carlos smiled back and let out a small laugh.

“Do you work here?” The Latino boy guessed and Logan nodded shyly. 

He then carried the books he was holding over to the check in/ out counter. He placed them on a cart behind the counter and turned back to Carlos. He was staring intently at Logan, his bright smile turning down every few seconds. 

Logan raised an eyebrow as if he was asking ‘What?’ and Carlos grabbed his chin to touch his face. “What happened to your face?” The shorter boy asked, running his finger over a particularly large scar near his ear. Logan jerked his face away and looked away.

“I fell down the stairs at home.” He lied, not looking up to see his reaction.

He felt the other boy put his hands on his arms and he instantly tensed.

“Logan.” Carlos said sternly. Logan looked at him at hearing the seriousness in the other boy’s voice. “You can tell me the truth. That doesn't look like a stair injury and your house doesn’t even have stairs.”

Logan jerked away from Carlos’s grasp and walked over to where a lady was waiting to be checked out. Logan checked her books out quickly, feeling the Latino’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his head, and gave her a half smile. 

“Have a nice day.” He told her and the lady nodded, leaving the building with her books. 

Logan felt someone grab his side and he jumped around. It was Carlos of course and he had his arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Logan. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me! Why don’t you just drop it and leave me alone?” Logan yelled, disturbing a few people around them.

Carlos had a flicker of hurt in his eyes and dropped his hands to his sides. “I am just trying to help you.” He said calmly. “But if you can’t appreciate that, then I’ll just go on with my day.”  
Carlos turned and headed towards the exit. 

‘Oh now he’s trying to make ME feel bad? What a douche!’ Logan thought harshly, ready to go back to his work. ’Shut up, he was just trying to help you!’ His mind retorted. ‘Now go apologize!’

Logan groaned and pinched his nose. “Carlos.” He called, listening to himself. The Latino turned and Logan walked up to him. 

“I’m sorry Carlos, I just really don’t want to talk about it right now.” He apologized, his voice shaky. 

Carlos embraced him a ‘hug’ and patted his back. Logan bit back a hiss of pain and hesitantly placed his chin on Carlos’s shoulder. 

A minute later, Logan abruptly pulled away and walked back over to the section of bookshelves. He still had a job to do even if Carlos was there distracting him.

“When do you get off work?” The Latino asked as Logan climbed down from the ladder after putting all the books he had back in their rightful places. 

“Around 1, why?” Logan replied and Carlos looked into space as if he was thinking. 

‘Oh God, what is it now?’ Logan thought, reluctantly.

“I was going to go to the mall and was wondering if you wanted to go with me?” He offered, looking back at the taller boy. 

Logan perked up, interested in the Latino’s request. He didn’t really get out the house much other than to the library and school . “Sure, I’ll be ready at my house around 2.” Logan accepted and the other boy cheered. 

Carlos patted his back and Logan winced sharply. He smiled forcefully and played it off as Carlos was walking towards the door. “I’ll see you at 2 at your house!” He promised before leaving.

Once he was gone, Logan dropped his smile and ran to the bathroom to empty the contents in his stomach. 'How did he find me and what was he doing at the library anyway?' His mind screamed at him as he sat on the bathroom floor, recovering. It was going to a long day already.

...  
Logan tapped his foot impatiently on the sidewalk in front of his house. It was about 2:30 and Carlos still wasn’t there. He didn’t put on eyeliner or his snakebites and put on nice colorful clothes for him. Not that he was trying to impress him or anything like that. He just wanted to wear something different than his usual attire. Plus it was the first time he has hung out with someone other than his relatives in a few years. 

Right before he went back inside, Carlos pulled into his driveway and honked his horn. Logan got in with slight hesitation, still trying to get used to whole ‘Friend’ thing. 

Carlos turned to him once he was situated in his seat, and smiled brightly. "Sorry I'm late. I had something going on at home." He apologized. “You look nice, by the way, especially without your eye makeup.” He commented, noticing his change in style.  
Logan didn’t know why but when he received that compliment, his cheeks heated up. “Thanks.” He replied, smiling a little. Carlos nodded and backed out of the driveway.

The autumn breeze cooled a very warm Logan as he and Carlos rode down the highway, the windows rolled down. Since Sherwood was sort of a small city, they had to drive to the next city over to get to the mall. Logan didn’t mind. They got to the mall about 20 minutes later and parked somewhere up front. Once inside, Carlos dragged Logan into this Tech Shop and immediately began looking around. Logan stood back and watched him.

‘He’s like a child in a toy store.’ He thought, smiling slightly at the shorter boy’s actions. 

Carlos came up to him with a toy helicopter clutched in his hand, grinning like an idiot. 

‘My point proven.’ He laughed to himself internally.

He waved the toy that was in its box to Logan. “I’m gonna get it. Were you going to get something?” He asked. 

Logan shook his head and watched as the shorter boy went up to the cashier to pay for it. He came back to him moments later, bag in hand, and led Logan to the next store; the bookstore. Logan turned to him for an explanation for taking him here. “I know you like books, since you tolerate working at the library so I wanted to see if you wanted anything out of here?” Carlos explained and Logan shyly smiled. 

‘Well that was nice of him.’ He thought, following his lead further into the store. 

He then split up from the boy and went to find his own book. Logan really liked creepy and dark stories so he went to the horror section to find anything he hasn’t already read. Yeah, he didn’t find anything of interest.

A little while later, he found Carlos in the Romance section, sitting in a bean bag chair, reading some book that had a tie on the cover. “What are you reading?” He asked, scaring the boy. 

The shorter boy stood up and tried hiding the book behind his back. “Heyy, Looogaan.” He drawled nervously. 

Logan raised an eyebrow and walked closer to him. “Whatcha reading there?” He repeated, trying to glance around him. 

Carlos dropped the book he was holding and held up his hands. “Nothing.” He lied, he face looking like an innocent puppy. Logan nodded slowly, not believing in what the shorter boy had said. He decided not to make a huge deal out of it and went along with Carlos’s story.The two boys exited the bookstore a short while later, nothing new in their hands, and kept on walking down the mall’s main road. 

On the way to the food court, Carlos and Logan had a small, get-to-know-you conversation. It was stupid little questions like ‘What your favorite…’ Fill in the blank and they probably answered it. When they made it to the food court, Logan took the lead and went towards the Chinese food stand. He was starving and in dying need of some good ole Chinese food. Carlos didn’t bother objecting.

‘Maybe he was just as hungry for it as me.’ Logan assumed, getting in line to order. 

He ordered himself a plate of sweet and sour chicken with some white rice and an eggroll. He was really hungry. Carlos ordered some beef chow mein and a small plate of wings on the side. Carlos offered to pay for it all and Logan objected, claiming that he had had enough for his own food.

When they got their food, they sat at a table and dug in. Two plates of food later, the boys leaned back in their chairs, full to the brim. Carlos was first to recover from the meal and he sat back up. “So how’s your day going so far?” He asked.  
Logan sat up as well and looked at him.

“Fine, thanks for asking.” He replied, breaking their eye contact for moments to glance at a group of people that were just walking in, and then looking back at Carlos. 

He had his head turned around, his body growing tense. Logan took a closer look at the kids and realized why his ‘friend’ was so tense.

“Victor.” Logan growled lowly, standing up.

The blonde jock was having a conversation with some people when Logan stomped up, Carlos at his heels.

“Hey Logan!” Vic greeted surprisingly cheerful. 

Logan didn’t buy it and pushed him back. “Don’t you ‘Hey Logan’ to me.” Logan snapped angrily. “What are you doing here, trying to stalk me, huh?” 

Vic shook his head quickly and held his hands up. “Nah dude, I’m just hanging with some family.”

Logan glared at the group of the jock’s relatives, causing Vic to let out a sigh. “Look dude, I’m sorry for insulting you and pushing you.” He apologized, the fakeness seeping in through his ‘honesty’.

Logan saw through the facade and almost punched the jock when Carlos put his arms around his waist, pulling him away from the taller blonde.

“Calm down.” The shorter of the two ordered, quietly.

Logan scoffed and shoved Carlos back. “You think that you can just apologize for what you’ve done to me?” Logan demanded. 

He got up in Victor’s face and stared past his deep green eyes and probably into his soul. “You’ve put me through hell since middle school. I hate you! I’ll never forget what you have put me through!” He turned to the jock’s relatives.

“I hope you know what scum of a human you have raised here is! Don’t trust him because he is satan’s spawn!” He concluded, whispering the last words out coldly.  
Vic nodded and looked a little afraid when he spoke again.

“Well then, I have nothing else to say to you. Good day.” With that, the jock and his ‘family’ scurried away. 

Carlos grabbed Logan’s arm and turned him to him. “Why the hell did you just do that?” He demanded, his brown eyes blazing. “You just made this whole situation worse.”

Logan snatched his arm back and turned his own brown daggers on the other boy. “I just needed to tell him off and I wasn’t going to do that at school, where people we know could be watching.” Logan replied, keeping his voice at a normal level for the sake of the Latino. “And I hate that he was just nice to me when I was trying to rile him up. I know that he wanted to hurt me, but he chose not to because of his family.”

Carlos looked surprised after his mini rant and calmed down. “So what did he do to you before I came here?” He asked, slipping a hand into his pocket.

Logan shook his head and walked past him. He grabbed his trash, threw it away, and then went to the restroom. He made sure no one was in any of the stalls before he stuffed his fingers down his throat and forced himself to vomit. Afterwards, he got up and washed his hands and face, cooling himself down. 

‘Stupid, stupid Logan!’ He thought shaking his head. ‘This is why no one likes you! You’re a freak!’

Carlos was waiting for him near the table they were sitting at. “Do you want to keep shopping or”-

“I want to go home now. I’m not feeling too well at the moment, after that ordeal.” Logan cut him off sharply. Carlos nodded, looking disappointed, and exited the mall behind Logan.

...  
Logan slammed the door behind him as he entered his house. Carlos sat down on the couch and Logan plopped on the other end bringing his knees up to his face. “Wanna watch T.V.?” Logan asked after a few silent minutes.  
Carlos shrugged and Logan grabbed the remote. He switched the television on and turned it on MTV. 

“You know, I think you may have some anger issues.” Carlos said quietly and Logan glared at him. 

“Why the hell are you telling me this?” He demanded, his face growing red. 

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder a moment later and he turned his head. “Logan, calm down.” Carlos said, moving his hand up to Logan’s neck. “I was just stating my opinion.”

The taller boy jerked away and tucked his head between his legs. “Can you just leave, I’m not feeling too hot.” Logan asked weakly. Carlos stood up and felt the other boy’s forehead.

“You’re actually burning up!” He exclaimed, feeling around the boy’s face. 

Logan felt woozy in the Latino’s hands and leaned back into the couch, shutting his eyes. He was suddenly lifted in the air by the shorter boy and carried to his room. He didn’t have the strength to argue as much as he wanted to. Carlos laid him down in his bed then left the room. He came back a minute later with a wet face towel and placed in on Logan’s forehead. 

“You must have caught a cold while we were out.” Carlos predicted, pressing the towel gently across Logan’s face.

Logan nodded agreeing with him, hoping that he wouldn’t question him further and laid all the way down on his bed. Carlos pushed the bangs out of his face and looked directly into his eyes. “You don’t look too well either.” He pointed out, dropping his hand to his side. 

Logan scoffed. “It was probably Vic, him and his sick self.” He said convincingly. He pretended to glare up at the ceiling in anger.

Carlos grabbed his chin and forced Logan to look at him and the other boy winced. “Don’t you dare blame him for this.” He ordered his voice lower than it’s ever been. 

Logan had a hint of fear in his eyes when the Latino spoke to him in that tone. “You know this type of thing is natural. It’s just a fever, not the plague.” Carlos stood up and cracked his fingers. “You’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Logan sat up suddenly and grabbed his arm. “You’re not going to leave, are you?” His voice sounded desperate and he hated it. He just didn’t want to be left alone.

Carlos seemed surprised at his change in voice and sat back down on the bed. “I mean I don’t want to overstay my”-  
Logan forced his eyes to water and the Latino paused from speaking. “Don’t leave me here. I’m sick.” He whispered, letting the warm tears fall down his face. He wiped them with his shirt, not wanting to cry on Carlos again, and looked down. 

P.O.V. Change  
Carlos petted Logan’s head, trying to calm him down. He was sobbing for a few minutes now and his fever hadn’t gone down. It was strange for him to see the other boy’s transition from some angry, stubborn, jerk, into a small, fragile, child in just a few minutes. He also couldn’t help but wonder why he was so bipolar. All Carlos wanted to do was help, but the stubborn side of Logan kept shutting him down. He wanted to break down Logan’s shell and get to know the real him.  
Logan rolled over onto his side and stared up at Carlos. “Why do you want put up with me and my emotional self?” He whispered, his eyes red and puffy. 

Carlos smiled and wiped Logan’s damp face. “Because you are interesting and I like hanging out with you. I’m learning about you more and more and it's fun.” He replied, holding the boy’s head in his hands.

Logan tilted his head but didn’t pull away. “How do you know that I am willing to share anything?” Logan asked, a hint of humor in his hoarse voice. Carlos chuckled and put his hands down. 

“Because I already know a lot and it’s only been 3 days.” Carlos replied sassily.

Logan rolled his eyes and mumbled ‘Whatever, fuck you,’ to him.

P.O.V. Change back  
Logan reached behind Carlos and tugged at the back of his hoodie. “So, are you going to stay?” He asked, his voice now serious. 

Carlos ran his hand through Logan’s hair and glanced at the ceiling to think.

“Please.” The sick boy added with his puppy dog face. 

Carlos looked thoughtfully back at him. “Sure buddy.” He said finally. 

Logan relaxed in the bed and so did Carlos. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor or on the bed, with you?” Carlos asked and Logan patted the spot next to him. 

Carlos stood up and removed his jacket and shoes. He also took off Logan’s shoes so he could get comfortable under the warm covers. Logan grabbed the remote off the bedside table and switched on the T.V. 

Carlos got in the bed beside him and laid back into the pillows. They settled on watching cartoons for the rest of the day, laughing and just enjoying their time together. This was the first time Logan has felt safe and content in a long time. As he curled into Carlos’s chest, he couldn’t help but think that this was what he was missing out on for the past 5 years.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! With the new year of 2018, I gonna post some more of my stories starting with my edited chapters of BYI. Remember to comment some feedback if you want! Enjoy Chapter 3!

A month had passed and the two boys had hung out again several times, building up a somewhat stable friendship. They had even had a few sleepovers at Carlos’s house along with Jamie and Kendall. For once, Logan felt happy to be going to school on one Monday morning. He and Carlos had hung out that past weekend, watching funny videos on the internet and eating junk food in the dark.  

He walked through the front doors of the school with a somewhat happy expression on his face but was immediately snatched back by a rough hand.

“Thought you could sneak past me Malone?” A deep voice that vaguely reminding Logan of his father or Victor, whispered.

Logan squeaked and jumped around quickly. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing who it was.

“You’re an ass, you know that?” Logan said, hitting the person in his arm. 

The shorter Latino laughed from in front of him shook his head. “Says this stubborn jerk in front of me.” He retorted, messing up Logan’s already messy hair.  

Logan pouted and shook his hair back in place. “Whatever. What are you doing here so early?” He asked, changing the subject. 

Carlos put his arm around Logan’s shoulders and began walking down the hallway. “I wanted to be here to meet you first. Also I need to remind you that we have detention tomorrow since I forgot to tell you this weekend.”

Logan and Carlos had gotten in some more trouble with Vic’s crew the past Wednesday and earned themselves two hours of after school detention on Tuesday since Monday detention was already packed.

Logan smiled at him and gave him a hug. “Thanks, you really didn’t have to do that.” He told him and Carlos raised an eyebrow as they separated. 

“Want me to leave you here by yourself then?” The shorter boy asked turning around.

Logan shook his head quickly and grabbed Carlos’s shoulder. 

He then leaned up against the brick wall and glanced around. “Soo…” He said, expecting Carlos to say something.

Carlos must of had some bells go off in his head or something because he immediately took out his phone and swiped a few times before showing Logan the screen. “I found this game that I thought you might like.”

Logan took the phone and read the title of the game. “‘ Five Nights at Freddie’s’” He said before swiping to the next page of the ad. There were several screenshots from the game that did look interesting. It was a horror game which had these scary characters of a bear and a duck plus others that apparently attacked you in the game. Logan handed Carlos back his phone when the homeroom bell rung. 

The two boys made their way down the hallway to Logan’s homeroom. Said boy halted beside his homeroom door and looked down at Carlos. 

“So I’ll see you in Study Hall?” Carlos asked. 

Logan nodded and twisted on the doorknob to the classroom. A few students were already in there and socializing with each other and when he had walked in, a few of them went quiet and looked at him. They seemed surprised because he had a smile on his face for the first time in, well forever.

Logan made a beeline to his assigned seat, tossing his book bag in the empty chair beside him, and kicking his feet up on the desk. A tap was felt on his shoulder minutes later and he turned to face the person.

A short, pretty brunette girl stood there, a smile on her face, and a paper in her hand. “Hey, there!” She greeted quite cheerfully. Logan crossed his arms. 

“What do you want?” He asked, not really interested. He was not in the mood to converse with some chick he didn’t know even though he was happy today. 

The girl’s smile didn’t falter and she held out her paper. “Could you sign this petition so that the Drama club can produce our first production of the year?” She asked politely. “We are doing an original play called ‘The Wolf Within Her’ and would really appreciate it if”- 

Logan waved his hand, showing that he had heard enough. He took out a pen and signed his name on one of the lines. “Here you go.” He said, handing the paper back to the girl. 

She smiled brightly at him and patted his back. “Thanks. My name is Camille by the way.” She held out her hand and Logan shook it. 

He didn’t want to make anyone upset this early and didn’t really have the heart to do it because Camille looked too innocent and happy to upset. She reminded Logan of Carlos because of her energy and seemingly positive attitude. 

Camille walked away for a moment to grab her bag then came back and sat next to Logan. “Your name is Logan, right?” She asked and he nodded. “Well, tell me about yourself, Logan.” She urged, leaning on the desk to look at him better. 

Strangely, Logan felt comfortable about talking to this girl and explained some of the basic things about himself. She just seemed interested in him and was giving him positive vibes through her body language and speech in general. After a while, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Samone walked in and sat down at his desk.

“Good morning everyone.” He said, gaining most of the students’ attention. “Did everyone have a pleasant weekend?” 

Mr. Samone was the kind of teacher who asked about everyone’s weekend, but really didn’t care to know. The majority of the students responded with a ‘Yeah’ including Logan, which was surprising because he usually didn’t say anything at all. Mr. Samone took attendance and then turned on the classroom T.V.

After that, Camille began telling Logan about herself and Logan actually listened. She was apart of the Drama club and had the dream of being the next big Hollywood actress or just wanted to be in the entertainment business. She also told him that when she really had to get into a role, she would act like her character in real life until she got the callback.

It was sort of strange method to Logan, but also very interesting. He wondered if he would ever catch Camille while she was one of her characters. Camille had mentioned Brendon Urie somewhere in their conversation and so that started a new topic about their favorite bands. They continued to talk about each other’s common interests until the announcements came on and they had to shut up.

“Good morning all students and staff members of GHS. I’m Jo Taylor and here with your daily school news.” Said the peppy blonde girl on the T.V. She looked like the female version of Kendall with the same huge eyebrows and everything. 

Logan watched in boredom as the school’s tune played and all the new announcements played through with Jo’s commentary in the background.   
Camille tapped his hand a minute into the announcements and he looked to her for an explanation. She gave him a pink sticky note that had her neat handwriting printed on it. 

The note read ‘You're really cool Logan. We should hangout sometime if you’re not busy!’

Logan smiled a little at her compliment and glanced back up to nod at her. When the announcements ended they exchanged cellphone numbers, and were about to head out the door with the rest of the class before the teacher said something.

“Students, before you leave, I have something important to pass out.” Mr. Samone said, causing the students to sit back down. 

Logan leaned on his desk and listened up. “Alright, I am passing out the forms for this year’s senior trip to Mexico. The fee is $800 for each person going and the money is due in April.” 

Some students groaned at hearing the price and left the room, not wanting the paper. Camille took her paper as well as Logan, even though he didn’t think he could pay for it with his minimum wage job. The two new friends separated with a wave and went to their separate lockers. Logan stuffed his bag into his barely decorated locker and grabbed what he needed for his first two periods. It only had a few of his drawings taped up on the interior walls He waited by his locker for the bell to ring and no one bothered him. 

Which was strange.

A group of jocks passed him by and didn’t even give him a mean look. 

One of them even waved.

The bell rang and Logan made his way to Art, a confused look on his face. ‘Why is everyone so nice today?’ He thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

Logan sat down in his seat and immediately opened his sketchbook to draw out what he was feeling. That was the warm-up for the day. After drawing what was a jumble of random lines on his paper, he went to the next clean page and began drawing a simple wolf. It wasn’t what he was thinking but it sure was a hell of a lot easier than drawing out what his mind was coming up with. 

Logan was glad when the bell rung and ended 1st period. He was ready to see his short Latino friend. He practically ran out of the classroom, down the hallway, and into the library. He found his spot, a secluded corner behind some taller bookshelves, and cracked open his textbook to study for the upcoming English test. He was just starting to get interested in revising the stuff when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

He thought it was Carlos so he smiled to himself. He glanced up and was surprised to see Camille standing there with her own book.

“Hey Logan, what are you doing back here?” She asked, crouching down beside him.

Logan closed his book and fully looked at her. “Just studying here, in peace.” He replied, tapping his book with a finger. 

Camille sat down beside him and flashed her book, which was actually a script. “I needed a quiet place to practice my lines so I came to the library. I saw your emo hair from back here and wanted to see what you were up to.” The girl told him with a small laugh. 

Logan was beginning to like this ‘Friend’ thing. He now had some people to talk to instead of going insane with his own thoughts trapped in his mind. He leaned over her shoulder and looked at the typed print on the script.

“Well, who do you play in this story?” He asked, taking his eyes off the paper to look at her.

Camille brought her hand up from her side and pointed at the highlighted name ‘Christa.’ “She’s the main lead of the story and is just a really awesome bitch! Literally!” Camille explained, surprising Logan with her vulgar language.  Logan took the script from her grasp and read over a few lines for himself.

“‘Now you listen up mutt, we don’t like you kind on our land and will call the cops if you don’t scatter your tail out of here’, warned the old farmer.” Logan read aloud. “Christa stood her ground and pulled out a knife. ‘We wolves don’t like your kind either, but we chose to fight our own battles and not to force anyone else on them, unlike you humans.’ Christa replies, twirling the sharp object between her hands.”  

Logan nodded his head gave the script back to Camille.

“It sounds like a strange story.” He commented, truthfully. “Why does she have to be a wolf person?” 

Camille rolled her eyes. “I didn’t write the story so I can’t change her.” She retorted, playfully pushing his side. 

He held in a hiss, not wanting to alarm her, and gave her a fake glare. “I know that but could you suggest a species change at the next meeting? I’m not digging the fact that an ‘awesome bitch’ is also a demon wolf. It's like evil furries or something.” 

Camille rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I don’t think the writers will change it just for you. That’s the whole storyline.” She said and Logan felt satisfied.

Camille and Logan began revising soon after and even helped each other out. This was a first to Logan but it was enjoyable. Camille was pretty funny and made everything from History to Algebra sound interesting. Logan had forgotten that he was supposed to meet up with Carlos until the end of Study Period bell rang because Camille distracted him for the whole time. 

The short boy had his arms crossed and a frown on his face when he saw him in the hallway. “Where were you?” He asked, embracing him when there weren’t many people around.

Logan pushed him away gently and flicked a stray strand of his hair out of his face. “I forgot, sorry I got distracted with studying.” He replied. 

He wasn’t lying; he just wasn’t saying the full truth. Apparently Carlos believed him because he didn’t mention it for the rest of the day.

...

The rest of the week went by quickly for the emo boy. He was soon standing in the parking lot, tapping his foot on the concrete ground, waiting for Carlos on Friday. The Latino told him that he would be taking him to his house that evening to hang out with the guys. Logan had also been chatting with Camille more by text and in homeroom, gaining another friend.

A small group of jocks passed by him and halted. The tallest, a dark skinned, buff guy spoke up from the group. “I heard you beat up Wilson.” He said. 

Logan shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, what about it?’ He asked, wanting to get this over with quickly. The darker skinned guy cracked his knuckles and came closer to Logan with his fists up. 

“I respect you for that dude. ” The jock replaced his fist with an open palm and patted his back. “Victor is a ass and we all know it so I’m glad you stood up for yourself.” 

Logan smiled a little at him. “Thanks, uh…”

“Devon.” The jock finished, patting his back again. 

“And don’t worry about Wilson anymore. We’ll try to keep him in line.” The jocks behind him made noises of agreement from behind him. “Take it easy Malone.” 

And with that, Devon and his team walked off. Logan had a look of shock and then relief on his face after they had left. 

‘Me being friends with Carlos helps me from being beat up.’ He thought, looking up at the cloudy, grey sky. ‘I shouldn’t be using him like this, though. I should fight my own battles like with Vic.’ 

Carlos came out of the building, Jamie and Kendall behind him, and soon spotted Logan.

“Hey you!” The shorter boy greeted, running over to Logan.

Logan smiled at him and, shockingly, grabbed Carlos first. Carlos seemed surprised too because he hesitated to hug him back for a second. Once they broke away, Kendall patted both of their backs and brought them further away from the school building.

“Are you two ready to go now or is it time for you to go and make out behind the bleachers?” He asked causing Jamie to laugh out loud.

Logan crossed his arms and pouted as Carlos wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him until their sides were touching.

“How’d you know about what we were planning?” Carlos demanded in a flamboyant voice.

Kendall laughed and pushed the shorter boy’s shoulder, playfully. 

Logan chuckled to himself and leaned down to Carlos’s ear. “You think we should mess with them?” He whispered and Carlos grinned.

“Let’s go to my house, it’s getting cold out here.” The short boy said to them, taking his arm off of Logan and pulling up his hood. 

He walked over to his truck, Logan following, and even opened the door for him. Logan smiled slightly at him, noticing the mischievous look in his sparkling chocolate brown eyes and got settled in his seat. Carlos gripped the wheel tightly as he drove his truck down the familiar road to his house in the woods. Logan was anxious to know what the other boy was planning but decided to wait for the answer instead of asking for it.

Just like a birthday present!

The boys in the white truck made it to the house in record time and hurriedly exited the vehicle. Well Carlos got out quickly and Logan just followed at a slower pace. They ran up the stairs to Carlos’s room and said Latino guided him into his bedroom.

“Why are we in such a rush?” Logan asked, a bit winded from all the running. 

Carlos pushed Logan down so that he was sitting on the bed and shushed him. “You wanted to mess with their heads right?”

Logan nodded, unsure on where this was heading. Carlos left and came back with some red lipstick from his bathroom, which he apparently owns, and smeared some on his lips. When satisfied, he threw the stick aside and grabbed Logan’s face.

Logan stuttered out loud at his brisk movements and his eyes darted everywhere around the other boy's room to avoid eye contact. “What are you doing?” He finally got out. 

Before he got a response, the Latino pushed his lips onto his and kissed him.  
The kiss was slow and nice in a weird way, and once Carlos pulled away, Logan felt a little dizzy. 

And a little confused in himself.

“There.” Carlos whispered before moving his lips to the side of Logan’s face. 

Logan shivered and tried to keep a straight face the whole time. Carlos kissed his cheek, his ear, down his jawline and neck, back up to his chin, his piercings, and ending with another sweet kiss to the lips. Logan was sure that his whole face looked like a tomato when the shorter boy finally pulled away and met his gaze. 

“Now it looks like we were making out.” Carlos said, wiping the remaining lipstick off his lips.

‘Well we kind of were making out!’ Logan screamed in his head. ‘Wait, did I like that? WHAT!?.’

Logan let out a soft sigh and stood up. He looked at himself in the mirror and sucked in a breath of air. He did look like he was attacked by a pair of lips, but there was something missing that he thought could complete the look. He spit in his hand and rubbed them together.

It was now Carlos’s turn to ask ‘What are you doing’ and Logan replied with a finger over his mouth. He ran his damp hand through his once combed and straightened hair and made it look messy and curly.

“Now you really look like you’ve been made out with.” Carlos commented, agreeing on the hair change.

Logan smirked at himself in the mirror, bit his lip, then turned around and grabbed Carlos’s hand. “Let's give them a show." He said, finally feeling comfortable about the situation. 

The shorter boy nodded, smiling. He pulled the shorter boy down with him and they just laid there in silence.

“Do you really think this will work?” Logan asked after a minute. 

Carlos sat up and placed a hand on his arm. “Yeah.” He replied, rubbing the taller boy’s arm. “I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see us.” Logan nodded and let his mind wander for a bit. 

‘How did I become so comfortable with these people so fast?’ He thought as Carlos continued to rub his arm. ‘I mean,  I didn’t know it would be this easy and if I did I would have did this a long time ago. I have people looking out for me for the first time. Even though I rather them look after themselves but having the option still feels good. Now if I can only get over my fears of trusting, then I’ll be solid.’ 

Carlos tapped his shoulder, causing the boy to be brought back from his thoughts. He heard footsteps coming from the stairs and immediately scooted even closer to the other boy.

“Los? Logan, where you at?” Jamie called, walking into the room. He froze in place, spotting Carlos and Logan ‘kissing’. Logan glanced up from acting to kiss Carlos and smiled at the pretty boy. 

“Hey Jamie, where’s Kendall?” He asked, not even affected by shocked look on his face. 

Carlos rolled over and let out a fake groan. “Who’s at the door, babe?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Jamie unfroze himself and came closer to the two boys. “Yo, is this for real because I thought you guys were joking in the parking lot?” He said, glancing between them.

Logan smiled lazily at Carlos and raised an eyebrow. “Should we tell him?” He asked quietly and Carlos nodded.

“We’re not really together.” He whispered and Jamie looked somewhat relieved.

“Then why are you two”-

“We wanted to prank you and Kendall.” Logan told him, glancing at the door to make sure that said blonde wasn’t there yet. “Don’t say anything about it when he comes in.” 

Jamie nodded and sat in the beanbag chair that was in the corner. “Why the lipstick, though?” He asked and Carlos rolled his eyes. 

“It’s to make us look girlier.” He replied, but then shutting up because there were footsteps heard nearby. 

Logan snuggled closer to Carlos and wrapped an arm around him. Carlos kissed him again and Logan sighed into the kiss.

Kendall walked in a moment later and had the best ‘Taylor Swift’ face of the year. He looked shocked and a little upset at the same time. 

“What the?! Why wasn’t I invited to this makeout sess?!” He exclaimed, causing the boys to look up from their ‘making out’.

Carlos licked his red lips and stared up innocently at the tall dirty blonde boy.

“You wanna join us?” He asked and Kendall nodded, looking actually interested. 

“Well we have something to tell you before.” The tan boy announced, trying not to laugh from Logan’s nose.

Logan could feel the deep, quiet rumbles in his throat while he was rubbing against it. He then pulled away to look at Kendall. “You just got pranked!” Jamie yelled from the beanbag chair. Carlos and Logan began laughing and rolled away from each other, holding their sides.

Logan rolled over and began tickling Carlos’s neck with his nose. Carlos even rolled off the bed, causing more laughter to erupt from boys in the room. Kendall cracked a smile at that and walked over to help the Latino to his feet. 

“That was a good one, Los.” He praised, patting his back. 

Logan coughed in acknowledgement and Kendall bro-fisted him. “You too, Logan.” The blonde added. “But next time, I wanna be in the middle.” Kendall said that with a serious expression but then started laughing a moment later. 

A few minutes later, after they had all calmed down, Logan sat up on the bed, and leaning on his elbows, tapped Carlos’s hand. The shorter boy met his eyes, still smiling.

“Want to wash this lipstick off?” Logan asked and Carlos nodded. They both got up and went to the bathroom to clean themselves up.

While washing his face, Logan paused for a moment, feeling eyes on him, and turned to his side. Carlos seemed to be watching him for a moment before he went back to washing his face.

That was strange.

Walking back into bedroom, Logan had spotted Kendall and Jamie sitting in front of the T.V., watching something. Luckily, they weren’t arguing.

“Why do you think they call it football when they use their hands for most of the game?” Kendall asked and Jamie shrugged.

‘Here we go.’ Logan thought, rolling his eyes. He sat down in the beanbag chair and put his hands behind his head, getting himself comfy for this free entertainment.

“Because calling it handball would sound stupid.” He replied, not looking at him.

Kendall shook his head. “Not true. I would love to play a good ole game of handball.” He stated, crossing his arms.

Jamie rolled his hazel eyes then looked back at the T.V. “Of course you would and you would be playing all by yourself.” Kendall made an offended noise and glared hard at him.

Carlos suddenly grabbed Logan’s hand and dragged him out the room, kicking the door shut behind him. Logan leaned on the hallway wall, chuckling to himself. 

Carlos was laughing too and was holding his stomach. “I swear, those two just love to fight with each other.” He said once he caught his breath. 

Logan nodded, agreeing with the shorter boy. "Why did you take me out of there, though?” Logan asked.

Carlos patted his back and pulled him away from the wall so he could whisper something in his ear. “I didn’t want you to get hit with something.” He replied. Logan looked confused for a moment until he heard a loud yell and then a crash from the bedroom. 

Logan moved away from the wall and went by the window. “Aren’t you afraid that they’ll break something?” He asked, facing the Latino.

Carlos waved his hand in dismissal and sat down in the armchair by the window. “I can get it replaced if they break anything. I also warned them if they destroyed any of my prized possessions, than their asses are mine.” 

Logan sat in the other chair across from him and crossed his legs. “After all this time and this is the first time they’ve fought like this in front of me?” He asked and Carlos nodded.  “And you say that I have anger issues.” He added, looking out the window. 

Carlos didn’t reply to him after that and glanced out the window at his reflection. 

“Logan?” He said after a while. 

Said boy turned to him. “Do you like us hanging out together?” 

Logan nodded and looked at him strangely. “Of course! Why do you ask?”

Carlos shifted in the chair. “You don’t think I’m weird?” Logan shook his head and came closer to him.

“Well, I just kissed you, several times and I think you’re straight and so am I but…” He began to ramble and stopped to sigh. “I just didn’t want to scare you off or anything.”

Logan got up to ruffle the boy’s wavy hair and then sat back down. “I should be the one scaring you off, with my mysteriousness and random ‘mood swings’ that happen every so often.” 

Another yell sounded from inside Carlos’s room, but the boys outside it completely ignored it. 

“Yeah, about that,” Carlos began, sitting up in the chair. “Why are you so mysterious and distant with me? I’m your friend, right?” Logan nods slightly and glances out window. 

It was drizzling outside, the raindrops pattering the glass of the window and slowly sliding down. It looked like the sky was crying. Logan turned back to Carlos who had a sad look on his face. “Do you not trust me?”

‘Not completely.’ 

“Of course I trust you.” Logan replied, ignoring the little voice in his head. “It’s just hard for me to explain myself to other people and-” His voice cracked while speaking. “I just don’t think it’s time for you to know, everything. I barely know you, Carlos.” He cried, not bothering to wipe the tears away.

“Logan, I saw these cuts on your wrists last week and have been worried ever since.” He confessed and Logan choked on a sob. “And I need to know if I can-”

Logan stood up and ran down the other end of the hallway before the other boy could even finish. He sprinted down the stairs and out the front door of the mansion. The rain felt good on his warm body as he ran down the driveway of Carlos’s house. He swore that he heard someone yelling for him, but he ignored it. Logan kept on running, the scenery changing from the quiet woods to the city part of Sherwood. 

He didn’t know where he was going but he did know that he didn’t want to go anywhere near Carlos.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back with this one...and it's a short one so I hope you can wait it out for the next chapter!

As soon as Logan left his house, Carlos felt immediately guilty. For a moment, he just sat there confused, in the chair and after realizing that Logan had exited the house, he jumped to his feet and ran after him. The front door was already open when he got downstairs and chilliness of the weather made him shiver. The Latino ran outside and spotted a figure of a person running down his driveway. 

“Logan!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, running out into the rain. The figure kept on running until he was no longer in sight.

Carlos cursed under his breath and ran back inside his house. 

“Kendall, Jamie, get your asses down here!” He yelled from the bottom of the staircase. He tapped his foot impatiently on the ground as he waited for said two boys to come to him. The blonde and light skinned boys busted out of Carlos’s room, their clothes ripped in different places and both had messy hair. 

“What?” They demanded in unison.

Carlos grabbed both of their arms and pulled them outside into the rain. “Logan ran away from me after I tried to get him to tell me something about himself.” He explained quickly.

Carlos and the other two put on their jackets and shoes, jumped into Carlos’s truck, and rode out of the secluded woods. 

“Why do you think he would do that?” jamie asked, patting down his wet, messy hair.

Carlos hit his fist against the steering wheel and growled.

“It’s all my fault. I should have never pressed him about it when I knew he didn’t want to talk about himself.” The Latino made a sharp turn and gripped the wheel harder when they skidded for a second on the wet road. 

Kendall patted his shoulder in effort to calm the boy down. “Chill dude, don’t blame yourself.” He said, removing his hand. “Logan was just being a little over dramatic, that’s all.”

Carlos shook his head and kept his eyes on the road. He was more worried about Logan than upset with himself. 

He just needed to find him.

...  
POV Change

Logan made it to his street as the rain began pouring down. He had stopped running and was now walking at a fast pace. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He didn’t want to stop moving, knowing that if he went home, his father would be there or Carlos would find him there and demand an answer for running off like he did. Logan turned around and ran towards the forest, where he was sure that no one would find him.

Logan didn’t travel too far into the woods before he found his special spot. It was a natural underground cave that was big enough for just him to get inside. He used to come here all the time when he was little, just to escape his parents yelling and now he was back. He crawled into the cave on his hands and knees and settled in a small dip that was covered in old clothes that he used to lay on.

Logan laid down on his back and closed his eyes. He tried to forget about everything that just occurred and focused on the good things. Like talking to Camille. She seemed like she understood him in no other way that anyone else has and that made him feel good on the inside.  
The rain kept coming down like Logan’s tears did moments before and now he had a headache.

Then there came the thoughts about Carlos. Yes, the bubbly Latino was adorable, energetic, and friendly, but there was something about him that made Logan shiver. He wanted to know about Logan’s past. And Logan’s cuts. Logan couldn’t tell him anything because the Latino would spread rumors about him and then leave him.

Just like Kyle.

A tear shedded from Logan’s eye at the thought of his old friend. He rolled over and began crying softly, which soon turned to loud sobbing but no one could hear him because of the raging storm outside. He balled his eyes out for a good 20 minutes until his body had had enough and he passed out from exhaustion.

 

...  
POV Change

Carlos pulled in Logan’s driveway, his hands damp from sweating and took a deep breath.  
Kendall and Jamie were coming in with him for backup. Just incase Logan tried to run again, he wanted them to be able to catch him. 

The Latino got out in the pouring rain and walked up to the front door, his friends behind him. He knocked on the door a few times before it was swung open and a man with messy black hair poked his head outside.

“What the hell do you want?” He demanded, his voice slurry.

Carlos cleared his throat and put on a fake smile for the man. “Hello sir, we are wondering if we could speak to your son, Logan for a few minutes.” 

The man scoffed and glared down at him. “Who are you, his boyfriend?” Carlos shook his head quickly but his heartbeat had quickened at the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’. 

“No sir I just wanted to talk to him.” Carlos replied calmly.

The man ran his hand through his messy hair and then let out a loud, wheezy cough. “Well, he ain’t here so get outta here before I shoot.”

Jamie looked ready to object but Kendall grabbed his arm and led him back to the white truck. Carlos kept silent eye contact with the man for another moment before backing away in defeat. They drove away in silence, Carlos’s mind clouded in different emotions.

He had to find him.

They drove to the library. He wasn’t there.

They stopped by the school. 

Nothing.

Carlos groaned and parked his truck in his driveway. He got out and walked slowly to his front door, letting the rain soak his clothes. He trudged up the stairs and plopped down on his bed, face first. He couldn’t understand why Logan was being this way. One minute they were joking around and fine and the next, Logan was running off in the rain where no one could find him. It is when the first tears left Carlos’s face that he began to realize that he really cared about the boy and needed to find him before it was too late.


End file.
